Not-So-Fated Mates

Chapter 21: The Fight

Layla POV

Well, this was going to be fun. Layla watched the two alpha males sizing each other up, the tension thick in the air. Knowing this could get wild, she’d made them move away from the pack, close to the equipment shed. While the rest of the pack certainly had some semblance of a fighting instinct, it was a lot more contained in the lower ranks. On top of that, these particular alpha males had serious issues with each other. Any other day, while the fight would be intense, as alphas have to dominate, it wouldn’t be that bad. But today was not any other day. No, this fight had the potential to do some serious damage to anyone foolish enough to get close. Even she could be put in danger by getting near them, though she was apparently the reason they hated each other so much.

She shook her head as she walked through the sparring pairs, occasionally stopping here and there to give advice or correct their stances. Most were doing quite well, much better than they had when she had first been put in charge of training sessions. Even the omegas were starting to hold their own against higher ranked wolves, which made her proud. Omegas especially tended to be against fighting, and far from naturals at it, considering it was against their nature, but she wanted them to be able to defend themselves should the worst happen. The nice thing was, they were constantly surprising her with how well they listened and learned, and how they gave their all to it. When she’d commented on it before, they’d told her that they had to thank her for it. It had confused her, until they explained that the reason they worked so hard at it was because of her. Apparently, before she took over, no one even thought that omegas could amount to anything when it came to fighting. Their humble and peaceful nature made them seem weak to many wolves, but she’d never thought that. In fact, she’d always admired them for how willingly they served their pack, their dedication to nurturing and caring for each and every wolf in their care, especially when they were constantly looked down upon.

A pained roar ripped through the air, causing her to whirl around to look to where Drake and Zach had been sparring. In their places stood two big wolves, one the gray of Drake’s wolf, the other the chocolate brown that she knew to be Zach’s. Their clothes lay shredded on the ground, and she knew without a doubt that they’d lost control of their anger. She wasn’t sure exactly how, but she wasn’t surprised. It was bound to happen. As she looked closer, she saw that Drake was bleeding a bit from one of his forelegs, but mostly looked okay. Zach, on the other hand, wasn’t doing so well. Several claw marks marred his back, and the tip of one ear was missing. Blood matted his brown fur, and he seemed to be favoring one of his back legs.

Shaking her head with a sigh, she began running through the crowd, all of which had stopped their sparring to watch the alpha wolves. She was relieved when she reached them to see that they were still merely circling each other, waiting for an opening. She made sure to stop a good ten feet away to avoid getting caught amidst their fight, and stood with her hands on her hips as she glared at the both of them. “Enough!” she growled, with authority that could rival an alpha’s. When they ignored her and continued circling each other, she heaved a sigh and did exactly what she didn’t want to do: she moved between them.

Thankfully, that move finally made them stop their pacing and look up at her. “That’s enough,” she said with a deadly tone to her voice. Drake whined a little, looking eager to finish what he started. She shook her finger in his face as she said, “None of that. You weren’t supposed to call your wolves for this sparring match. And I don’t particularly care which one of you started that. Zach, quit being a fool and thinking you can take anyone one. Get out of my training yard and see Doctor Anders about your wounds.” He growled at her but she merely glared in response before turning to Drake. “And you, there are some clothes stashed in the equipment shed for emergencies like this, I’m going to let you in and you’re going to change, get dressed, and get back out here so you can do what you came here to do.” Still neither of them moved. Finally, she snapped, yelling, “Now!”

Zach turned and walked away, but as he did Layla caught the hateful look he sent her. Yeah, he definitely resented her for interfering and making him look weak. Not that it mattered to her, she wasn’t going to have chaos on her training grounds, and, although she wasn’t at all fond of the little fucker, she wasn’t about to let Drake kill him. Even he didn’t deserve that.

She turned, leading Drake to the equipment shed. She let him in and showed him where the emergency clothes were stashed, thankful they had a few bigger guys close to Drake’s size so he could actually wear something that vaguely fit. While he changed and dressed, she walked out and apologized to the pack for the interruption and encouraged them to continue sparring.

“You mad at me?” Drake asked from behind her.

She slowly turned to him, enjoying the surprise on his face when he realized she was smiling. “Nah, I, of all people, definitely understand wanting to kick his ass. But I didn’t need to give him more reason to target you than he already has, so I wasn’t going to show favoritism in front of him.”

“Oh, so I’m your favorite, huh?” he grinned, lifting an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes. “Keep causing chaos during training and you won’t be.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

Meanwhile, Isaiah, who had been staring out towards the forest, had shifted to watch when the alpha’s son had walked away, carefully noting the anger and dissatisfaction in his eyes. A small, cold smile barely tipped up the edges of his lips, but his eyes sparkled with thought.